The general goal of this research program is the modification of existing synthetic procedures or the development of new synthetic procedures to permit standard synthetic operations (e.g. the formation of a new C-C bond) to be accomplished with greater control over the structure and the stereochemistry of the product. Whether the purpose of a synthesis be to verify a structural proposal, to prepare a compound with known or anticipated physiological activity, or to prepare a compound whose molecular geometry suggests that it will have certain interesting physical or chemical properties, the synthesis will almost invariably require the formation of new bonds which bear a specific structural geometrical relationship to the remainder of the molecule. Often the success or failure of a synthesis is determined by the ability of the chemist to obtain sufficient specificity in a synthetic procedure so that the predominant (if not exclusive) reaction product possesses the correct structural and stereochemical features.